Developing and Cultivating Five Things (First Discourse)

Monks, if any male or female Ordained Practitioner develops and cultivates five things, one of two fruits is to be predicted: either final knowledge (wisdom) in this very life or, if there is a residue remaining, the Non-Returner Stage of Enlightenment.

What are the five?

Here, a Monk has mindfulness well established internally for (gaining) the wisdom that discerns the arising and passing away of mental objects; he resides reflecting on the unattractiveness of the body, perceiving the dissatisfaction of food, perceiving non-excitement in the entire world, and reflecting on impermanence in all conditioned objects.

If any male or female Ordained Practitioner develops and cultivates these five things, one of two fruits is to be predicted: either final knowledge (wisdom) in this very life or, if there is a residue remaining, the Non-Returner Stage of Enlightenment.

(Reference: AN 5.122)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares five (5) things that need to be developed to experience the benefits of attaining Enlightenment or the third Stage of Enlightenment as a Non-Returner.

1.) Mindfulness of arising and passing away of mental objects: A Practitioner will need to understand The Four Foundations of Mindfulness and be able to practice this important Teaching to eliminate discontentedness. Without being able to cultivate and practice mindfulness, a Practitioner would be unable to attain Enlightenment.

The mind needs to cultivate the ability to observe bodily sensations, feelings, condition of the mind, and mental objects observing their impermanence and be able to eliminate the craving/desire/attachment that produces discontentedness. Through observing discontentedness with mindfulness as it arises, a Practitioner can then cut it off and let it go gradually over time eliminating it from ever arising in the mind.

2.) Unattractiveness of the body: Explained in Chapter 24 of this book.

3.) Dissatisfaction of food: Explained in Chapter 24 of this book.

4.) Non-excitement in the entire world: Explained in Chapter 24 of this book.

5.) Impermanence in all conditioned objects: Explained in Chapter 24 of this book.

The Buddha is sharing that a Practitioner who develops these five things will attain Enlightenment or the third Stage of Enlightenment.

To accomplish the goal of Enlightenment, a Practitioner will need to develop many aspects of their life practice. These are five important aspects of one’s life practice that needs to be developed but this is not an exhaustive or all inclusive list.

This entire book series is devoted to sharing The Path to Enlightenment that a Practitioner will need to learn and develop to attain Enlightenment.